A Descriptive Study of Music Teacher Educators’ Beliefs About Policy

Abstract

While policies at all levels affect music educators, and music education researchers have called for increased attention to policy issues, few have explored preservice music teacher educators' beliefs about policy. This study examined music teacher educators' (N = 81) familiarity with and attitudes toward contemporary education and music education policies as well as how frequently they addressed these policies in their undergraduate classes. The data indicate that participants had the most familiarity with and most positive attitudes toward the National Music Standards, music education advocacy, and state music standards. Conversely, participants asserted that they had the least positive attitudes toward and spent the least amount of time addressing Race to the Top and STEAM. Respondents indicated more personal knowledge about policy, more time in undergraduate courses, and greater personal interest in policy would have the greatest influence on the amount of time they spent on policy in undergraduate courses.

Policy Dispositions Among Music Administrators in Higher Education

“…Administrators leading music departments and music education departments influence preservice music education curricula at an administrative level, but possibly differ in priorities. Aguilar and Kapalka Richerme (2016) indicated that MTEs tend to “have less familiarity with policies created outside of [the] field” (p. 46), often limiting their scope to policies written by and for music educators. In contrast, music school heads interact more with broader policy initiatives because they often act as liaisons between the music department and the larger institutions as well as lead compliance efforts with accrediting organizations.…”

“…In a similar study with a different population, Aguilar and Kapalka Richerme (2016) described MTEs’ knowledge of and dispositions toward education policy studies. Respondents tended to be aware of current policies affecting music education—like Common Core, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), and National Music Standards—but they generally did not include those topics in their undergraduate teaching.…”

“…One specific tenet establishes that “[m]usic units have a responsibility to participate in the furtherance of improved regional and national arts education policy to promote the central importance of the arts to education” (NASM, 2022, p. 294). If the background and interests of MTEs affect what is included in their classes (Aguilar & Kapalka Richerme, 2016; Doerksen, 2020), music administrators’ policy experience and expertise could also influence how that topic is addressed within the more malleable parts of the curriculum. So, examining the policy dispositions of those who finalize PMT curriculum and coordinate NASM accreditation could reveal another factor contributing to the lack of policy acumen among all levels of music teaching.…”

Uncommon commonalities: Cosmopolitan ethics as a framework for music education policy analysis

“…State and national music standards are the policies most frequently addressed by American music teacher educators (Aguilar and Richerme 2016), and thus the recently released National Core Music Standards (State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education 2014a), which replaced the 1994 National Music Standards (Consortium of National Arts Education Associations 1994), are a pressing policy issue for the music education profession. An examination of the National Core Music Standards utilizing the cosmopolitan ethical principles of universal concern and respect for legitimate difference reveals areas of both alignment and disconnect.…”

Before the singing : the journey of an artistic director

“…Developing the practice of selfreflection keeps teachers coming back to their core beliefs and evaluating their choices in accordance with these beliefs" (Larrivee, 2000, p. 304). Teacher leadership in music education may represent a variety of roles such as policy advocate, curriculum developer, peer mentoring, and professional development leadership (Abeles & Custodero, 2010;Aguilar & Richerme, 2014;Bernard, 2009). The transformational leader effectively shares and guides a clear vision with "their students, for their music program, and for themselves" (Armstrong & Armstrong, 1996, p. 23).…”